


Complicated Games

by florahart



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Complex relationships, F/M, I don't want to tag this Tonks/Lupin but their marriage exists, Pregnancy sex, arguably AU, drunk consensual sex, timeframe: 1992-98ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-25
Updated: 2007-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-25 02:54:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6177325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/florahart/pseuds/florahart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charlie and Tonks don't have a relationship, only maybe they do. It's complicated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Complicated Games

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written and posted for the Smutty Claus Harry Potter exchange on livejournal in 2007. Recently someone wanted to find it and got a dead link, so I'm reposting as-is. In 2007 tagging wasn't a thing, so the tags are more 2016, though.

Tonks showed up at Charlie's door at half past ten, bundled in a heavy coat against the rain that looked as though it might turn to snow at any moment. It was late, but then, that wasn't unusual. She'd generally visited him here once or twice a month, and they'd been friends for years, so even if he hadn't seen her in …he thought back. Two months? Three? Missing supper was all right. He knocked back the shot of firewhisky he'd just poured and offered her the bottle, but she shook her head and smiled. "Not this time."

"Oh?" They had a long-standing arrangement, and usually their evenings started just one way: they shared a few drinks, got a little drunk and a lot horny while they swapped stories of dragons and Auror training snuggled on the couch or in bed, then turned on the wireless and fucked until they were too worn out to bother pulling up a blanket. It was a good system; they enjoyed each other and neither of them really had the free time for a complicated relationship. Apparently, though, she intended for this time to be different. He poured himself another anyway, then capped the bottle and set it back in the cabinet with a raised eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Yep!" She was hiding something, clearly, though Charlie didn't exactly know what, but she wasn't annoyed, just having fun with him, so he wasn't worried.

Then she opened her coat and he stopped with the glass at his lips before knocking it back quickly. "Been busy?"

"Hasn't been _that_ long, Charlie."

It was true; two or three months wasn't long enough to see that kind of change. He waited for her to elaborate.

"Still, as I recall, you have a bit of a thing about this. But clearly, if I'm to maintain the image I can't be having whisky, right?"

He shook his head. "You're insane."

"That's what Moody says. A lot. Come on, though. For fun?"

"Seriously?"

"Well. I've been away for a bit." She grinned. "Thought I'd make it up to you." She let the coat fall to the floor and yanked her jumper over her head, her smile widening when she looked up and he'd put his glass down and was already stripped to the waist as well. "Still like the idea, then?"

"Hell, yes, if you don't think it's weird." He stepped out of his jeans and knelt in front of her, sliding his fingers between her thighs to tease her for a moment before he kissed her stomach and pulled her down next to him. 

"Please. If anyone's weird it's the girl that can grow unexpected appendages." She nudged at his leg with one knee, brushing her thigh against his rising cock. "Not much for wasting time, are you?"

"Have I ever been? Though I think this is going to be one of those times where the first go is fast anyway."

"Ah, then you more than just _like_ it." She smirked. "I wasn't _completely_ sure you'd go for it, you know."

"Better than I expected, even." He pushed her over onto her back and settled between her legs, burying his nose against her clit and sliding his tongue along her folds.

"I can't see you down there!"

He laughed. "What, you're concerned about mistaken identity?" His voice was muffled against her thigh, but it wasn't as though they didn't have plenty of practice with interpreting each other around skin and blankets and the occasional Summoned snack for strength.

"You might be anyone!"

"You got a better idea?"

"Maybe a few." She propped herself up on her elbows and peered down at him, watching him as he licked and nuzzled a bit more, then scooted back all at once. "Roll over."

"Bossy wench." He rolled, because whatever she had in mind, he was pretty sure to like, and he could always go back to tonguing her later. She knelt beside him and fell forward, arse in the air as she took the head of his cock in her mouth. She angled her face toward him and grinned as she sucked him fully hard, then sat back on her heels to study the situation.

"It'll have to be like this," she said, smirking again. "I know how much you hate when I ride you." She straddled him, then burst out laughing as it became clear that much as it should be easiest like this, there was still a problem: the position was nothing quite like they'd done before despite some rather athletic efforts, because all the angles were fouled up by the extra bulk, and reaching around was harder than she'd expected. After a long moment of reaching and craning and nearly falling over twice, she slumped forward, giggling against his throat.

He chuckled too, but pushed her back upright. "Yes, mostly like that, only I was thinking probably it'd be more fun with my dick inside you. Not that having you rub like that is unpleasant, exactly."

"Right. Yes, but I'd rather, too." She tried to straighten her face but failed. The skin around her mouth quivered and quirked as she set her left hand down on his chest and reached around her stomach to grip his cock and position them so she could slide down onto him. Still, the angles once again defeated her, and then both laughed. 

"Maybe you should just undo it and morph _after_ we get to fucking," Charlie suggested.

She shook her head. "No way. How's it a fantasy if we can only manage it by magic?"

"Uh." He frowned. "I'm nearly sure we can only manage this particular one by magic anyway. Unless you're suggesting we dump the charms and grow an actual baby in there, which, for one thing, I'd never let you out of bed, but for another, much as I'd like that, I like my balls, and your mum would probably remove them to some sort of uncivilized jungle where they'd be a delectable treat for the natives if I made it hard for you to get back to work." He traced over the skin, considering whether a metamorph would complain about itching stretched skin.

"True. Still. In actual practice, we'd have had time to learn, so it's not cheating." She shrunk the pregnant bump just a bit and reached again. "Oi. You're not cooperating!"

"Sorry! Sidetracked envisioning the actuality. Better?"

"Mmm, yes." She slid down onto him, wet and still grinning, then closed her eyes and regrew the bump to its previous size. "So, this is what you had in mind?"

He tilted his head slightly to one side. "Of all the things I like--and I'm pretty sure I've told you about a hundred things by now--I can't believe you even decided _this_ was the one you wanted to play out. But. Uh. Yes." He ran his hands over the distended skin, which she'd even made appropriately taut, to her hips, which were still narrow and boyish, and swallowed, picturing her _actually_ pregnant, imagining that she was growing his baby in there.

"Well! It's sweet, kind of." She shifted her weight slightly, letting the weight and pressure rest on him a bit more, then closed her eyes again.

"What the--Christ. Since when do you know how to do that?" Charlie's fingers tightened, digging into her as he pushed up.

She rocked on top of him harder and squeezed again in the unexplainable way that pushed a tiny area out again, as though a little elbow or foot were pushing against its walls. "You really _do_ like this. I thought probably once you actually saw it, you'd change your mind."

"Yes, well. Probably." He flushed, partly from the exertion of the fucking and partly because it was probably not in keeping with his manly dragonkeeper image to like this so much. "Probably I'm, you know. A little weird that way. Shit, keep doing that." He lifted and lowered her hard onto him, wanting nothing more than to roll them over and pound into her but holding onto the fantasy she was helping with the thumping random punches of phantom knees and imagining that he'd hurt her if he did.

She grinned, an evil, wicked grin, and braced her hands on his chest, nails digging into the muscle hard, and whispered, "Maybe I'll drop the charm, leave it to chance. You like that? Like to think maybe I'll get pregnant, maybe next time I visit I'll be huge and you'll have to fuck me from behind, me on my hands and knees because I'm too big to ride you, even?"

He looked up into her eyes. "Fuck, yes. Drop the fucking charm."

She nodded. "I'm going to. I'm going to and then I'm going to fuck you until you can't get it up again, Charlie."

He groaned and held her down on him, emptying into her with a grunt as she continued to writhe on top of him. He panted for a moment, then shoved a hand between them to press and tug at her clit, wanting her to come while he was still inside her. 

When she collapsed to the floor beside him, sweaty and dripping, she started to let the bump shrink again, but he rolled to face her and set his hand on it. "Don't go anywhere."

"What, me, or it?"

"It. Well, or you, unless you have somewhere to be…"

She grinned. "Bed would be good. Floor's a little hard. I suppose you want to try out that hands and knees thing?"

"Hell, yes. This is even better than that corset thing. Or the trick with your throat. Yes, I want to play with it. On your hands and knees with a mirror so I can see it there under you. Or this way again, now we've got it figured out. Or you could turn around, ride me backwards, baby rubbing against my legs…"

She pushed the bump out hard again and moved to sit up, then grimaced. "Assuming I can figure out how to stand up with the damn thing in the first place."

He shrugged and rolled to his feet, then bent and picked her up, carrying her to bed. It was only a fantasy, but the image was too damn nice, and he wanted to keep up the pretense as long as he could. He deposited her on his bed on her hands and knees and took his time kissing his way up the back of her thighs and along her spine until she was quivering and ready again. 

\--

"Charlie?"

Charlie looked around, then spotted Tonks's head in the Floo. "Er. Today's Thursday." He shrugged. "Come on in, though."

"Sorry, can't tonight. On duty. Just, Sirius Black is out."

"Out?"

"Of Azkaban. Anyway, we're all on high alert. Doubt I'll be down at the weekend."

"Damn."

"I know. Sorry."

"Please. Don't go apologizing for doing your job. I'm the one lives about a million miles away for his, remember?"

"Yeah, I know. Still. I was looking forward to the time off."

"Yeah, I know." Charlie frowned. "You on duty _all_ weekend?"

"Well. I have to sleep, but probably."

"Right. Well, I could come up. I mean, if you promise not to tell my mother."

"What am I, a secret?"

"No, only, if she knows, then she corrals me, and then I don't see you, which misses the point. Since you may remember the time she nearly locked Bill into a bloody chastity device when she learned about Simone Warden. Nothing's changed."

Tonks laughed. "I remember. Good point. Anyway, come up if you like, but I don't know how much time I'll have."

He chuckled. "We'll shoot for quality, then, over quantity. Though I do plan to make you come at least--"

"Shit. Got to go. Shacklebolt's on about Floo powder and Ministry resources--see you when I see you."

"--a dozen times," Charlie said to the empty grate with a grin. He turned back to the boiling water on the stove and picked up noodles to add, then set them back down and instead Banished the sauce to a dish and stuck it under a preservation charm. He _had_ planned to spend Friday on errands, but there was no reason he couldn’t just go up and surprise her tonight. And get a head start on the weekend. He could always do his shopping in London, if he found himself at loose ends. He shrunk the supplies he'd bought already in anticipation of playing out one of more involved ideas along with a spare jumper and socks and shoved the whole lot in his coat pocket, then tossed powder into the Floo and shoved the box in with his clothes. 

The Ministry's outgoing calls could make it here in one go, but he had to go via two intermediate points and at her end, he was probably going to have to loiter outside a bit... He grabbed a book off the shelf and stepped into the green flame.

\--

"Tonks?"

She was sprawled deeply asleep on the couch in her jeans and t-shirt, one shoe still on, mouth gaping open. She smacked her lips together a bit but didn't wake, so he called from the fireplace again. "Tonks?"

"Hmm?" She opened her eyes, squinting. "Wha…Charlie?"

"Yeah. You surely know about Dad?"

"Yeah. Oh! Is he--"

"No. Looks like he'll be fine, but I came up to check on Mum. Tonks, are _you_ all right?"

"What? Fine. Just a little tired." She scrubbed her hand through her hair, pink where she touched it and otherwise brown. He chuckled, and she glared. "What?"

"Nothing. I just always like the rainbow effect. Anyway. I just thought I'd check in, long as I was on British soil and all."

"You mean you thought you'd stop in, see if I was good for a tumble, since it was convenient?"

Charlie raised his eyebrows. "Uh, no. Not that I ever turn you down, oh love of my life, but I really just meant to say hello, make sure you were really all right."

"No need to be sarcastic."

"Oh, what the hell? I wasn't."

"Love of your life? Please."

"Tonks. Seriously, are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Freaked out. Too bloody tired to think. There's no, just. Shit. Sorry."

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah. You always can now, by the way."

"Oh." Charlie stepped out of the grate and frowned. "I didn't check. Plus you hadn't said. Plus, wait, if you thought I just wanted a shag, but then… I think I'm confused."

"Sorry. I'm being contrary. It's easier than being worried."

"Oh. Right. Wait, isn't this why we don't call this thing we do a relationship? So we can just be worried or whatever and not play stupid games?"

She made an exasperated gesture with her hands and shook her head. "I don't think either one of us is into playing stupid games anyway, Charlie."

"True." He sat down next to her on the couch. "I'd offer comfort sex, but you seem averse. Backrub?"

She turned a little, offering her back, and sighed as he obliged, massaging her shoulders firmly. "I'm not averse. Just snappish. Dark Lord's back for sure, which obviously you know something about with Arthur…"

"Yeah, but what was that thing about me calling you--"

"No idea. I'm just jumpy, Charlie. It's nothing." 

He rubbed another minute, then pulled her back to lean against her chest. "Doubt that, but for now, leave it." He kissed the top of her head and watched the red ripple out to the ends of her hair. "For now, you think about nothing and let me hold you, and I'll hold you and let you think about nothing."

"What?"

He shrugged. "I'm not feeling noteworthily useful, way out there, you know? So, you're tired, and I shouldn’t have woken you in the first place, but now that I have, well, you need to not worry, and I can be useful if I help you with that."

"You're useful lots of ways, Charlie."

"Yeah, yeah. Backrubs for one."

"And comfort sex. After a nap." She lifted her chin and slipped down his chest a little. "Assuming you're actually interested in fucking a snappy cranky Auror who might have to run out before you even get off. And who might be the next one who gets bit by a monster snake on duty in the middle of the night alone."

He swallowed, then forced a credible grin. "Told you. I don't turn you down."

She shifted her shoulders a bit and nodded. "Good."

He waited until she was asleep again before adding. "Course, maybe this is why we _should_ be calling it a relationship."

\--

It had been quite a while since he'd set his Floo to let her in, so finding her in his living room when he came in wasn't entirely a surprise, but he hadn't expected her to be able to get away for a couple more weeks yet. They were at war, and she was heavily involved. So was he, here, but they didn't talk about that much. "Hi," he said, setting down his knapsack. 

"Hi."

"Everything all right?" He hung up his jacket and bent to unlace his boots.

"Yes. No."

"Oh." He worked at the knot in the second one for a minute and stepped out in his socks on the rug. "Anything you can tell me about?"

"No. Dumbledore says he's getting weaker. You know that. I don't know how much longer… he doesn't say, but something's going on."

"Yeah, that's what Mum says. Sort of. Without saying. Between the lines."

"Yeah." They stood for a moment before he thought of anything else to say, the lull in conversation alien but somehow not entirely uncomfortable.

"Right," he said at last. "Well. Wine?"

She shook her head. "Got anything stronger?"

"Just whisky. I think. Haven't had any in a long time." He thought about it a minute. "Actually, since last time you and I got drunk and--"

"That sounds good."

"Which, the firewhisky, or the--"

"The fucking." She looked up. "With or without the whisky, just." She shook her head. "This is going to sound insane."

"I'm pretty sure we passed the point of insanity when we started fulfilling each other's fantasies, love. Also, you know as well as I do that I'm fond of anything that ends in us fucking."

"You mean that?"

"What? How long have we been doing this?"

"No, I mean. Never mind." She stood and went to rummage in the back of the cupboard, pulling down most of a bottle and two glasses. "Can we just get drunk and fuck? For a long time? Until we're too tired to pull up the covers?"

Charlie took the glass she offered and held it steady while she poured for both of them, then held her eyes while they drank. He let the burn crawl down his throat and waited for her to finish, then pulled his jumper over his head and watched her do the same. "Feel it yet?"

She nodded. 

"Want to tell me what's going on?" He unbuttoned her jeans while he waited for the answer, and she smiled. 

"Not really. It still sounds insane. Clearly I'm not drunk enough to have this conversation." She poured them each another and drank hers quickly, then closed her eyes as he shoved her jeans down and helped her step free. "It's just, lately, when we see each other…"

"Which isn't that often."

"Which isn't that often… we have a lot of sex, but it's all holding and it's quiet and it's for comfort and Charlie, it's not comforting me."

"And being drunk…"

"And what I want is to feel like we used to, all about the fun, not solemn, not loving, even if, well. Not quiet. I want to fuck like there's nothing to worry about. I want--"

"Even if what?" He stepped out of his jeans, too, but didn't step closer to her.

"Even if we do. Love each other. Which it's too dangerous to do, and besides, that's not the point. We worry too much. There's too much to worry about. I want to fuck like there's no tomorrow, and like there's every tomorrow."

Charlie nodded. "Right. No worrying. No being gentle. Fucking to exhaustion. Got it."

She put her hand to her head. "Good. I was afraid that wouldn't make sense. And then I'd have to explain that I know you love me and I love you and being loving and quiet, that works, but it's not right right now and I want you to show me by fucking the hell out of me until I forget my name and possibly yours and… God, I hope it's my turn for fantasy."

She looked up, and Charlie shrugged. "I'm pretty sure even if it's not, I can work with it. What do you want to do first?'

"Sit down." She jumped at him, knocking them both to the floor, and straddled him, her hand between them tugging and stroking at his cock furiously, and then she was forcing herself down onto him, tight around him, lifting herself up and pushing down hard over and over until her skin flushed with the effort and her hair brightened. "Tell me, Charlie. Tell me what you want to do to me."

He yanked her down on top of him and rolled them, legs straining as he slammed forward as hard as he could, as hard as she wanted him to. "Rather show you," he grunted, moving forward to keep up as each thrust slid her an inch across the rough carpet. "Feel it? Feel how you're going to be bruised and sore? Is this what you need?"

She didn't answer, her teeth sinking into the muscle of his shoulder as she wrapped her arms and legs around him hard and held on. He felt her muscles spasm around him and spilled into her hard, then lifted his weight on one arm. "All right?'

She pushed him off her and nodded. "Perfect."

They didn't bother looking for a blanket or the bed, and when she woke him up in the night with her mouth on his cock and her hand between her legs, he didn't say a word. She rode him hard in the dim light from the kitchen, scraping her knees and his arse on the carpet, and fell asleep slumped over him, his cock still inside her.

He woke again to find himself cold and sticky on the floor alone, a little bit hung over and a lot sore, and stood to stagger into the shower, which was steamy and warm; she'd evidently just left. He hoped she was all right.

When he got out of the shower and stumbled to his bed in the still-dim dawn, he found she was.

She left just before noon, while he was in the shower again. He picked up his jeans and jumper, and her twisted knickers, from the living room floor.

If it was a relationship, it was more complicated than he'd ever really expected, but then, he supposed simple was boring. He put the clothes in the laundry and made breakfast.

\--

_21 September 1997_

_Dear Charlie,_

_You've heard about Remus. There's a reason. He knows. You'll know when you see. Mail can be intercepted, but… you'll know._

_\--N.T.  
Er._

_\--N.T.L._

Charlie stared at the letter, which explained nothing, for a long time, trying to figure out what to write back. Finally, he sent congratulations on her marriage and closed his Floo.

\--

"I never saw."

"Hmm?" Tonks. Tonks-Lupin? Whatever she was calling herself, she turned her head toward him, her features oddly still.

"I never saw. You sent a letter…"

"Oh." She squeezed her eyes shut. "Charlie. What… I feel like hell."

"You should."

"Huh?"

"I'm pretty sure the intent of the curse that hit you was to kill you."

She opened one eye. "Wait. What…" She sighed. "Are you angry?"

"About what? The fact that you showed up, got me drunk, fucked me raw, left without a word, and promptly married someone else? Or the fact that he says you didn't think I needed to know about--"

"He's all right?"

"Which he?"

"The… Either of them. Both of them. They must be? Charlie, did he tell you why?"

"Yeah, matter of fact. There's a decent chance I'd have had an opinion."

"I just. There was your mother, and I didn't want to, I don't know. I mean, we talked about your mother and my mother, and then your family was all going into hiding--"

"Not me."

"No, I know, not you."

"And not by the time you decided to get married. Not to me."

She sighed. "I know. Just, I want to explain, but right now, I want to sleep."

"Yes, well, at some point would you like to clarify the situation to your mother so I can see my own damn kid?"

"Didn't Remus--"

"She thinks he's trying to bugger off, Tonk--T… Nymphadora."

"Don't call me that. Tonks is fine."

"Fine. Tonks, your mother thinks your husband's attempts to pin fatherhood on me, the bloke who had no idea, are deceitful. I get the sense her background leaves her somewhat unable to fathom certain things."

Tonks sighed. "Yeah. Anyway." She closed her eyes. "Tell her to check his name in the Hogwarts rolls. His real name."

"I'd rather _you_ did that."

"What?"

"Look. I want to see him. However, your mother scares the shit out of me, and at the moment I'm too pissed off at you to deal with her."

"Fine. Can you tell her to come see me?"

Charlie folded his arms across his chest. "Yes. Also, you should have bloody well told me. And my mother."

Tonks snorted, then coughed. "Ow. And no, your mother is at least as scary as mine."

"Yes, but--"

"But nothing. She had seven children to worry about. She didn't need to fret over a clumsy Auror fucking up with her grandson in the middle of a war." She frowned. "Is your family--"

"Short one."

"Shit. Us too. It's… weird."

"Yeah."

This time, the silence between them was awkward, and finally Charlie shook his head. "Fine. I'll tell your mother you need her. You might want to ask the staff to help you sit up, as you look like you feel. Owl when you feel better and we'll talk."

Tonks nodded and put her hand to her listless brown hair.

Nothing happened, and Charlie bit his lip, but turned to go.

\--

_Charlie,_

_Ready when you are. There's a lot to say, but if you'll let me, I'd like to tell you._

_Tonks_

Charlie turned the letter over.

_T-- Yes, there's a lot to talk about. Can you Apparate/Floo/Portkey? Or is that gone, too? Do you need me to come there?_

_\--C_

The reply was short.

_Yes._

He looked at the word for a minute. "Yes, which?" he asked the owl.

"Yes, I can Apparate." 

He turned around. "Might have been clearer."

"Less fun." She bit her lip. "So, about Teddy."

"That part's sorted. Your mother saw the rolls, shouted at me, got my mother to shout at me, and told me if I didn't know how to value a relationship I didn't deserve one," Charlie said. "Then she threw me out."

"Sorry about that. I think I've got her calmed down a bit. No, I meant… I thought you'd come home. For Christmas or something, you know. Remus--"

"Planned to sleep in the stables while I fucked his big pregnant-bellied wife again?"

"Well. No. More like he planned to trade places with you, though I doubt he'd have objected to watching, uh, your part of the proceedings, anyway."

Charlie blinked. "Oh. Uh."

"That's not common knowledge."

"Clearly."

She shrugged. "Anyway. And I was already a target because of my family, because of Bellatrix, and I couldn't quite… Look, Charlie, your family was already in hiding because of Harry, and I didn't want to add 'and because of me' to that. It might not make sense, but at the time it did. Plus, Teddy. I mean, automatically endangered by being mine, and then--"

"And then add more blood traitors, I suppose. Though I think you're probably giving your aunt way too much credit for rationality."

"I know. But I just… I wanted him, and I wanted you, and it was probably irresponsible, and I don't really know what I thought. Anyway, Remus knew and agreed not to tell, and it was useful to him, to have someone to come home to. Sort of."

"I thought he came and told everyone, in a big announcement?"

"Yeah, though, if you'd been there, he'd have taken you aside. And if I'd." She swallowed. "If I'd really died, he'd taken a vow, you know. To take care of him until you could, or forever, whichever was first."

"Just as well he didn't _also_ get cursed, then."

"He did. But werewolves are a bitch to kill. Anyway, so he helped out and I helped him by making people like your mother not drive him crazy about being alone… Plus, he was a lot of help when I was huge. I guess he was Harry's mum's, I don't know, advisor or something, too. He though all the buying stuff was _fun_."

"I can't believe I missed that part."

"That Remus is gay?"

"No, and it's not like buying baby things is something only gay men do! But no. The big pregnant part. You might remember I was rather fond of--"

"Oh." She looked away. "I can't do that again."

"Have kids? I didn't--"

She looked at him. "No. The other part. I'm not a metamorph any more. That's what happened, when the curse hit."

"Oh. Yeah, that, I knew." He looked away for a minute, then looked back. "So, if we grew you a belly the other way, though…"

"What?"

"Not right now. You're still--"

"No, I mean, what? You want--"

Charlie pursed his lips. "I missed it once. Also, I've been at the school a lot, cleaning up the mess. And possibly moping. Or muttering. Snape's portrait told me I was being an idiot. He's still really quite good at shouting, and has no compunction about sticking his big nose in people's business. Anyway. If you're, uh. Yes, I've wanted that for a long damn time."

She grinned. "Oh."

"Though probably we should improve our communication."

"If you're taking relationship advice from Snape, then, I'd say yes, we probably ought to."

"Shut up. He has experience with pining."

"You're pining?"

"Shut _up_. Are you divorced?"

"No."

"And?"

"And it's irrelevant. We never filed the--"

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Were you ever going to _mention_ that?"

She shrugged. "Didn't know if it mattered."

Charlie stepped toward her and leaned down. The height she'd settled at was shorter than she'd usually held herself, but it wasn't bad, leaning down. He kissed her softly, then harder, and whispered in her ear, "It matters."


End file.
